4 Great Dog Tricks to Start Teaching your Doggie Today

Dogs provide us with hours of wonderful entertainment on a daily basis – whether they’re chasing their tail or simply snuggling up for some cuddles on the couch. However, did you know that teaching them some new tricks could not only give you something great to show your friends – but also keep your dog’s mind sharp too?

Teaching your dog tricks will help them regain their independence and focus when they get older, and it could also save you some heartache when your pooch starts to behave badly. After all, telling them to sit when they’re running around hyperactively could save anything from a vase to a knocked-over child.

Here are some great tricks to teach your pooch today.

1. Shake Hands

This is one of the cutest tricks that your pup can learn, and it’s something that almost any dog can achieve when they put their mind to it. The secret is that your dog will naturally paw at you when they want something – like a treat. That means that when you present a fist with treats inside, your dog will paw at it because they can’t get to the treats without opening your hand. Once you teach them when and where to place your paw, you can begin to use the command “shake”.

2. Roll Over

Roll over can seem like a tough trick to attempt at first, but it’s actually more straightforward than you might think in the long-run. All you need is a little dedication. The more that you practice the “roll over” trick, the better your dog will be able to manage it. The secret is to do it in three different steps, which are covered in the video below.

3. Sit Pretty

Teaching your dog to not just “sit”, but sit pretty, with their paws up in a begging motion – gives you not only a great chance to take pictures for Instagram, but a fun way to exercise your dog too. Teaching your pooch how to balance with an adorable pose can help to build core muscles. However, you’ll need to make sure that your dog is healthy before starting this trick, as it can cause problems for pooches with existing muscular issues.

4. Hug

Ever just wanted to give your dog a great big hug? Of course you do. While you can always snuggle your pooch, this trick is extra special because it teaches your dog to drape their paws around you in return. If you want to master this trick, it’s important to remember that you’ll need to have plenty of patience because it takes a lot of time for a pooch to understand how to situate themselves for a human hug.

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